Oscar Pistorius looks at his father, Henke, after it was announced that Pistorius would be charged with premeditated murder for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. / Antoine de Ras, AP

by Rebecca L. Weber, Special for USA TODAY Sports

by Rebecca L. Weber, Special for USA TODAY Sports

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Everyone who walked into the Cape Town salon where stylist Marlene Solomon was busy trimming hair has the same question:

"Did you hear, did you hear?"

And though common reaction was "shocked," many locals expressed difficulty reconciling the conflicting images of Oscar Pistorius, who became an icon for overcoming physical challenges, with past disputes that made him seem like a sore loser.

Solomon, 43, recalled watching Pistorius compete in the Paralympics on television last summer. "I remember his outburst when that other guy won," she said. "It was embarrassing."

Others agreed.

"A person of his caliber, you don't expect something like this," said Manqoba Kheswa, a 30-year-old teacher.

"And to get excuses that he thought it was a burglar ... you can tell at a distance if it's a burglar," he said, referring to early news media reports on Thursday indicating that Pistorius claimed that he had mistaken girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp for a burglar in the wee hours of the night. This fueled speculation on what had actually happened; those early reports have since been discredited by police.

Police have been reviewing CCTV footage into Pistorius' housing complex that show that Steenkamp arrived at 6:15 p.m. the evening before the murder.

At the court hearing Friday morning, the state made it clear that it intends to pursue a charge of premeditated murder.

Pistorius broke down in court, visibly shaking. His team asked to delay the bail hearing until Feb. 19. Until then he will be held at Brooklyn Police Station in Pretoria East.

And the murder will continue to dominate local newspapers and talk on the street.

On Thursday, the entire who's who of political South Africa arrived in town for its annual red carpet opening of Parliament, followed by President Jacob Zuma's state of the union address. These events normally dominate Cape Town's attention for a few days, but not this time.

The talk has moved on to what's next â?? while bemoaning the loss of another role model.

"My reaction was deep sadness," Nehemia Simons, a 31-year-old barista, said. "And with the whole (Lance) Armstrong issue â?? what is happening in the world of sports? How is the world seeing South Africa? For young aspiring athletes, it's going to be hard to get over this."